Boy Caught Smuggling Heroin in NYC

NEW YORK - A 12-year-old boy from Nigeria swallowed 87 condoms filled
with
heroin, flew to New York and became sick before meeting whoever
had promised
him $1,900 to act as a contraband courier, authorities
said.

The boy's father is imprisoned in the United States for recruiting
drug
mules to smuggle heroin into Georgia.

The boy, identified as Prince Nnaedozie Umegbolu, was listed in
stable
condition at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens.
Officials said
85 of the 87 condoms had left his system as of
Thursday evening.

The boy has been charged with juvenile delinquency drug possession of
a
controlled dangerous substance, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for
the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs area
airports. His
case will be handled in family court.

Airport detectives said it is not uncommon to find adults acting as
drug
mules, but it is rare for a child.

The boy arrived alone at John F. Kennedy International Airport at
10:30
p.m. Wednesday on a British Airways flight from London, Coleman
said. He
hailed a cab and went to a Brooklyn address, but no one was
there, Coleman
said. He then went to LaGuardia Airport before
becoming ill.

Authorities did not know for whom Umegbolu was carrying the heroin.

Umegbolu, an American citizen, had been living with his grandparents
for
the past two years in Abuja, Nigeria, Coleman said. His mother,
Alissa
Walden, lives in Norcross, Ga. There was no telephone listing
for her,
and she could not immediately be contacted for comment.

The boy's father, Chukwunwieke Umegbolu, is imprisoned in Petersburg,
Va.,
according to court records. The elder Umegbolu was convicted in
1995 for
his role in a drug ring that imported at least $33 million
in heroin into
Georgia over a decade.

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